Explore the life and legacy of Zubeen Garg – legendary Assamese singer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. Discover his early life, career highlights, awards, personal journey, and lasting impact on Indian music and cinema.
Zubeen Garg
Early Life and Background
- Full Name and Birth: He was born as Zubeen Borthakur on 18 November 1972.
- Place of Birth: Tura, Meghalaya, India.
- Parents and Family: His father was Mohini Mohon Borthakur, who also used the pen name Kapil Thakur, a lyricist and poet. His mother, Ily Borthakur, was a singer.
- Ancestral Roots: Though born in Meghalaya, his ancestral roots are in Assam (Tamulichiga, Jhanji), in Jorhat district.
- Name: “Zubeen” was chosen in homage to the famed conductor and musician Zubin Mehta. He adopted “Garg” (his gotra) as his surname instead of his parental surname Borthakur, giving himself a unique identity blending personal heritage with artistic influence.
Career
Zubeen Garg was a very versatile artist, with activity spanning singing, composing, acting, producing, directing, writing, etc.
- Musical and Artistic Roles: Singer, composer, songwriter, lyricist, music director, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, poet.
- Languages: Primarily worked in Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi. But he also sang in around 40 other languages and dialects, including tribal and regional ones (e.g. Bishnupriya Manipuri, Adi, Boro, Dimasa, Goalpariya, Kannada, Karbi, Malayalam, Marathi, Mising, Nepali, Bhojpuri, Odia, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Tiwa, etc.).
- Instruments: He played 12 instruments: among them anandalahari, dhol, dotara, drums, guitar, harmonica, harmonium, mandolin, keyboard, tabla, plus various percussion instruments.
- Genres: His music spanned many genres, including Assamese classical (Borgeet, Ojapali), various Indian folk forms (Bihu, Kamrupi, Goalparia, Tokari etc.), Indian pop, Hindustani classical, filmi, Sufi, rock, blues.
- Years Active: From ~1992 until his death in 2025.
- Discography and Output: Over ~33 years, he recorded more than 38,000 songs. His output was enormous.
- Acting and Film Work:
- He acted in and directed some Assamese films. His acting film credits include Prem Aru Prem (2002), Dinabandhu (2004), Mon Jaai (2008), Gaane Ki Aane (2016), Mission China (2017), Priyaar Priyo (2017), The Underworld (2018), Kanchanjangha (2019), Rajneeti (2022), Dr. Bezbaruah 2 (2023), etc.
- His directorial and film-producing work also included projects in Assamese cinema.
Awards, Honours & Recognition
- He received the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction in 2009 for Echoes of Silence.
- In 2024, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) by the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya.
- Over the years he received many regional and national awards in playback singing, best music direction, etc.
Personal Life
- Spouse: He was married to Garima Saikia Garg. (Wikipedia)
- Education: He attended colleges in Assam — Jagannath Barooah College, Karimganj College, B. Borooah College.
- Place of Residence: He lived in Guwahati, Assam.
Death
- Date: 19 September 2025.
- Place: Singapore.
- Cause: He died following a scuba‐diving (swimming) accident in Singapore. | Knowledge in Assamese)
Legacy, Impact & Style
- He was widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians from Assam.
- He was also the highest‐paid singer in Assam.
- His style blended traditional folk, classical Assamese music with contemporary genres — pop, filmi, rock — making regional music more accessible to wider audiences.
- His multilingual singing and broad range of instruments contributed to his reputation for versatility. 0 0 0
You May Like: Zubeen Garg: Comprehensive Biography
